Folding chair



UNrTEn srarns PATENT orrron J. H. S\VAN, OF NEW' YORK, N. Y.

FOLDING CHAIR.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 25,452, dated September 13, 18159.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J. H. SWAN, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Chair; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure l is a side view of my invention, adjusted ready for use. Fig. 2 is a front view of ditto. Fig. 3 is a side view of the ditto, in a folded state.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

rlhis invention consists in a novel way of jointing or connecting together the seat, back and arms of the chair, and attaching said parts to the legs or frame, whereby the occupant of the chair may, with the greatest facility, place himself in a more or less inclined position, and be retained at any desired point within the scope of the movement of the parts, and without being discommoded, when in a recumbent position, by the arms of the chair.

The invention also consists in combining and arranging with the seat back and arms aforesaid the framing or legs of the chair so that the whole may, when necessary, be folded within a small compass.

To enable those skilled in the art to fully understand and construct my invention I will proceed to describe it.

A, A, B, B, are the legs of the chair, which are crossed at each side, as shown in Fig. 1, and connected by a traverse bar, C, the legs, A A, being permanently attached to the bar, C, but the legs, B, placed loosely and allowed to turn freely thereon. The legs, B B, have stops attached to their inner sides to serve as bearings for the legs, A, when the chair is in use-see dotted lines Fig. l. The front parts of the legs, B, B, are connected by a cross-bar, D, which has metal straps, a, attached to its upper surface, one near each end. The legs, A, A, extend up higher than the legs, B, and near their upper ends the back, E, is attached by bolts, b, bf, on which the back is allowed to swing freely. The bolts, l), are some distance above the lower end of the back E.

lIhe lower end of the back, E, is connected by bolts, c c, to the back part of the seat, F, the front end of which rests on the metal strips, a, on the cross-bar, D. Theback, E,

and seat, F, are upholstered, and litt-ed respectively between metal bars, d, (l, (Z, cl, through which the bolts, I), 0, pass. The bars, cZ, CZ, of the seat, F, rest on the strips, a, a, and have shoulders, e, which serve as stops to limit the movement of the seat and back.

Gr, G, represent the arms of the chair. The back ends of these arms are secured to the upper ends of the legs, A, by the bolts,

Z), which attach the back to said legs. The front ends of the arms, G, G, are connected by bolts, f, to bars, I-I, I-I, the lower ends of which are connected by bolts, g, to the front ends of thebars, d', d, of the seat. The bolts, Z), c, f, g, all form joints.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that when a person is on the seat, F, the back, E, may be inclined or thrown back by a slight effort of the occupant, as the back, E, owing to its connection with the legs, A, and seat, F, has a leverage power which counterbalances the weight of the occupant on the seat, F, and the pressure of the seat, F, on the cross-bar, D, that is tov Y say, the friction prevents any casual move-r ment of the back and seat, and all extranej' ous devices hitherto employed for such purposes are dispensed with. The occupant therefore may sit in an upright position, or incline himself more or less with but a slight exertion, and without any adjustment of parts to release and hold the seat and back.

In consequence of having the arms, G, G, attached to the legs, A, A, by the bolts, Z), and to the front part of the seat, F, by the bars, IVI, the arms are made to descend as the back, E, is inclined, and consequently the arms, Gr, cannot, as in reclining chairs of ordinary construction, discommode the occupant and compel him to keep and fold his arms within the space occupied by the seat. By my invention the occupant of the chair, when in a recumbent position, has free use of his arms, and may place them in the most convenient position. By having the legs, A, B, crossed, and the back and seat connected together, as shown and described, the several parts may be folded to- `gether within a small compass, as shown in Figure 3, thereby facilitating the transportation of the chair, as well as diminishing the expense attending the same, and also favoring the stowing away of the chair when not required for use.

This invention is not only well adapted for private use but will answer admirably Well for steamboats and other vessels, on account of their folding capacity.

I do not claim separately the securing of the legs, A, A, B, B, in a crossed position so that the same may be folded; neither do I claim broadly, and irrespective of the arrangement, herein shoWn, connecting the back and seat so that the same may be made to assume or approximate to a horizontal position. But

What I do claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:-

l. The arrangement of the back, E, seat,

F, and arms, G Gr, substantially as shown, i5 so that the back and seat, When occupied, Will be nearly counterpoised, and the arms,

G, moved With the seat and back, for the purpose specified.

2. In combination with the back, E, seat, 2o F, and arms, G G, the curved legs, A A B B, when the Whole are arranged substantially as shown so as to admit of being compactly folded.

J. H. SWAN. Vitnesses:

MICH. HUGHES, CHARLES M. HUGHES. 

